The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1887-09-24
CITY STREET vENDERS.


Their Peculiar Cries 10 Attfhfi Ait'htieh
to Their Wares.
The street traffic Of New York has
grown 10 great proportions. Five
thousand pcddlcrs are daily patrolling
the thoroughfares selling all kinds Of
wares and doing all kinds Of work.
They pay "A dollar year 10 the city
for the privilege Of selling goods on
the street aud harassing late s!ccpcrs
aud nervous people with their cries.
in the morning are those Of the news
boys. In Western cities, whore the
feature Of bulletin boards has not been
developed, the ncwsboys call out the
names Of their papers and announce
their most startling piece Of news.
A few moments before the paper comes
out the city editor sends down 10 the
publication office a cry for the news
bows. The man in charge Of the base
ment room, where hundred or two
ncwsboys are waiting, then call, them
up and gives them the cry. One day
thc shout In one Of the Western news
papcr Offices was: "All about the muir
der Of Smith" Peter Smith had been
very wealthy, mistocratic man. The
ncw,bOys were coached, aud shouted
the call several times in yocifcrou- con-
cert while waiting fOr their papers.
Some Of them, "a, is usually the case,
did not learn the call correctly, and
when they began calling their papers
ON the streets the friend, Of Mr. Smith
were hor1iGcd 10 hear them shout:
"All about the murderer, Peter Smith. y
The New York ncwsboy merely calls
the name, of his papers. He gives the
names a peculiar infection, and if the
edition H. an extra he shouts "lIcXtra,
Just OUT" u cry sure to sell papers. for
the public knows that something extra
ordinary must have happened to war
rant an extra.
Before the ncwsboy selling morning
papers has sudsidcd, the people in flats
and ia boarding-houscS, who are trying
10 take their final morning nap, are
aroused bypcculiar WhoOps, that sound
like "Y-I-p' Y-o-h-oo' 1t is
the call of the milkman with their
peculiarly y-fashiOncd red wagons. In
Washington the milkman announce
their coming by ringing great gongs
attached To the da,hboards of their
wagons. and in Western cities they
ring dinncr-bclls, but no New York
milkman is allowed To ring a bell His
cry is peculiar and no other vendor at
tcmpts 10 initiate H.
When the milkmcn have gone, n
man comes along the street yelling
what sounds like Glass pudding"
lie happens along at the hour when the
chambrlmaids are cleaning the
windows, and his call means uGlas5
put in!' Following him are men,
one on each side of the strcct-for
they, like many branches of street
trallckcrs, usually travel in pairs
Yelling in peculiar nasal tones: Rag
son -bot-tclls" They nro the rag
and bottle-buycrs
At eight O'Clock in the morning u
great army of fruit and vegetable
vcndcrs begin TO make the streets any
"Pot-cight, pot-cight-oos'' Another
ycls: "Sparrow-gress! thirteen cents
"A punchm The former is the vcndcr of
potatoes, and the latter Of asparagus.
About eleven o'clock men drive
along the streets in the tenement dis
tricts screaming "Go-way"' Get near
enough 10 see the contents Of their
wagons and You will find that they are
selling coal. The majority Of the
licensed wagons in New York are those
from which coal and ice are sold. The
veil "Rcd dishes" blends with the coal
mans call. Five cents bunch for five
radishcs j. the ruling price. The
vicinity of the great factories is a good
field for the radish-yendor about noon,
for the workman estccms the radsh
with his luncheon.
At the crowded street corners fire.
qucntcd by shoppers one hears the call
"Lic-likcs just cut! Five-cents-a-
bunchN Lilacs are very popular for
table ornamcntation. and the vcndcrS
/ AXE good liyings by their sale.
A man with musical voice pcrambu-
latos tho streets on the lower West
Side singingj ANY pcnknivcs or sois-
SorS or carvcrs To gr-i-nd?' Another
dealer. whose voice sounds like chant
at church service, goes through the
| aforementioned streets on the East Side
singing: Tin washer To me-hcnd
waS-tu-hubs, tin pai-hcls, boi-lhcrS and
pa-hans"
The poet of the craft is n clam-vcn.
/ der, who sings out:
/ "Oh CLANS oh clans Fresh CLANS today
] They've lately arrived from Rockaway'
] They're good for TO eat they're good for 10 fry
/ They're good for to make n clam potpic.'
The hroom-pcddlcrs have peculiar
cry which sounds like "A-whoop
/ a-whoor and noonc would understand
! that the shout, "Ap-hum. tcnce 4
/ whatcr pa-hcl'' means "Applcs. ten
cents n tcrpail. ~ y Cor, Dcnrc,
| Rcpablic0R.